Time passed minute by minute in the heavy atmosphere. The corpse of the second White Whale clone lay quietly in a pool of blood, its dark red blood having soaked the ground, emitting a nauseating stench.
However, the atmosphere on the battlefield grew increasingly tense, with everyone looking up, their eyes fixed on the clouds high above.
There, the third White Whale, and the last, true body, was slowly cruising among the clouds.
Its massive body appeared and disappeared, its grayish-white skin glowing with an eerie luster under the moonlight.
Most unsettlingly, it maintained a safe distance, showing no intention of swooping down.
"Damn it... what is it waiting for?" a soldier cursed under his breath, his weapon trembling slightly from being gripped too tightly.
"Look at its movement trajectory..." Felix's cat ears perked up alertly, "It's almost as if it's... observing us."
As time went on, the joy of the second successful subjugation had long since vanished.
The soldiers began to whisper, and a sense of unease spread like a plague.
Someone angrily slammed their weapon to the ground. "What a joke! If it gets away, our brothers' blood tonight will have been shed in vain!"
Crusch hurried towards Carlisle, her brow tightly furrowed, her amber eyes flickering with anxiety. "Lord Carlisle, can your magic blast it down? Even if it only forces it to lower its altitude..."
Carlisle looked up at the sky, slowly shaking his head. "The distance is too great. And..." He pointed to the special white fur on the White Whale's body, "Those anti-magic furs are even stronger than we estimated. At this distance, any magic will be greatly weakened."
Wilhelm wiped his blood-stained longsword, speaking hoarsely. "Young friend Carlisle, can you use that flying magic again? If we can get close to it again..."
"I'm afraid not," Crusch replied, her gaze never leaving the White Whale in the sky, "Haven't you noticed? This beast is more cunning than we thought."
She pointed to the White Whale's constantly changing flight path. "It's maintaining an even higher altitude than before, and it's slowly retreating.
If it sees you ascend again..." She didn't finish, but the meaning was clear - this Mabeast, possessing almost human-like intelligence, had been terrified by the bloody slaughter just now.
Once it sensed danger, it would likely flee the battlefield without hesitation.
Carlisle looked up at the giant, indistinct shadow in the sky when suddenly, a slight tug came from his cloak.
Carlisle looked down and saw Subaru pulling at his cloak.
The girl's face appeared particularly resolute in the firelight of the battle.
"Carlisle," Subaru's voice held an undeniable firmness, "Apply gravity magic to me.
I'll lure that guy down."
Carlisle understood her intention and immediately objected. "No! Do you know what this means?"
"Of course I do." Subaru's golden eyes flickered with determined fire. "The White Whale has been scared witless by you.
If it sees you ascend, it will definitely run away.
Although I don't know why I have a scent that the White Whale desires..."
Subaru had just felt her heart being clutched again, but the White Whale showed no sign of coming down.
Could it be that the distance was too far, and the'scent' wasn't strong enough?"
She pointed to the sky. "If a girl emitting a scent it desires, and posing no threat, suddenly appears before it..."
"It's too dangerous!" Carlisle grabbed her shoulder. "At such a high altitude, I can't adjust the parameters of the gravity magic.
What if the White Whale's speed exceeds expectations..."
"I'll go with you!"
"No! If the White Whale sees you, it will run away and everything will be over!"
Subaru suddenly raised her voice, with long-suppressed emotions. "I don't know why I'm being targeted by the White Whale, but if I can lure it down, only I can do it!" Her fists clenched tightly. "Everyone here came with the resolve to sacrifice.
Why can't I have the same resolve?!"
Carlisle was stunned by this sudden outburst. He saw the glint of tears in the girl's eyes.
"Subaru..."
"And..." Subaru's tone suddenly softened.
She gently took Carlisle's hand. "After I lure it down, I'll retreat immediately.
After that... I'll leave it to you..."
She turned her face away, her voice barely audible. "I don't want to die... Do you remember? You said that after everything was over, you would take me to settle in Kararagi..."
Carlisle's breath hitched for a moment.
He saw Subaru's slightly trembling shoulders, saw her tightly bitten lower lip, and finally, nodded heavily. "...I understand."
As the magic circle unfolded beneath Subaru's feet, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Wilhelm put away his longsword and bowed deeply to the small girl, Crusch placed her hand on her chest, and Felix also solemnly lowered his head.
"Lady Natsuki..." Crusch's voice was exceptionally clear in the night wind, "Please return safely."
Subaru showed a brilliant smile, slowly ascending in the magical light.
She knew that this time, she was no longer a burden needing protection, but the key to paving the way to victory for everyone.
"Okay! I'm going!"
As a streak of light cut through the night sky, Subaru's figure shot up into the clouds like an arrow released from a bowstring.
On the ground, Carlisle drew his sword with a 'clang', and the blade instantly burst forth with dazzling white light.
"Everyone!" Crusch's voice echoed across the battlefield, "Prepare to engage!"
The soldiers raised their weapons in unison, the metallic reflections forming a silver sea.
Wilhelm silently adjusted his breathing, the old Sword Demon's eyes flickering with complex emotions.
Rem looked up, her gaze fixed on the increasingly small figure.
——————
The high-altitude air currents whistled past her ears, and Subaru felt her heart pounding almost out of her chest.
The scene below was shrinking at an astonishing speed; burning torches became twinkling fireflies, fully armed soldiers turned into dense black dots, and even the massive Earth Dragon Team gradually became winding thin lines.
It turned out that from such a high place, even life-and-death struggles seemed so insignificant... Flying at high altitude wasn't uncomfortable.
Carlisle's magic formed a transparent protective shield around her, keeping even the biting cold wind out.
The only unusual sensation was a subtle state of weightlessness, like the momentary dizziness of riding a high-speed elevator stretched indefinitely.
Subaru tried to move her limbs; at first, her movements were a bit stiff, as humans were not meant to soar through the sky.
She slowly bent and straightened her knees, twisted her waist, regaining her balance like a wobbly infant.
Gradually, she found the trick, imagining magic as invisible wings, controlling direction with her core strength.
"Phew... this should work."
By the time she could finally turn flexibly, the battlefield below was completely obscured by clouds.
Milky white mist flowed around her, and moonlight streamed through the cloud gaps.
This dreamlike scene made Subaru feel momentarily disoriented, until-
"Woooo"
The familiar whale cry came from even higher up.
Subaru looked up, and above the layers of clouds, the White Whale's massive figure was slowly cruising.
From this angle, every scar on its grayish-white skin was clearly visible, and its pink halo glowed with an eerie light under the moon.
Now is the time... Subaru took a deep breath, and cold air filled her lungs.
She controlled the magic flowing within her, flying fearlessly towards that shadow of death.
The temperature outside the protective shield was dropping rapidly, and her exhaled breath condensed into frost in front of her, but a determined fire burned in her golden eyes.
As the distance closed, the dense pores on the White Whale's body became clearly discernible.
Subaru unconsciously clutched her chest, the Witch's scent calling to this greedy Mabeast.
"Come..." she whispered softly, her voice dissipating in the howling wind, "I'm right here..."
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
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